the president of all Chileans, of those who voted for him and those who didn't
Boric, 35, secured a decisive 10+ point victory in the runoff, becoming Chile's most leftist president since Salvador Allende and first outside traditional power blocs. Outgoing conservative president Piñera emphasized unity and called Boric 'president of all Chileans,' with over 92% of polling stations counted and high voter participation.
- Gabriel Boric won with 55.8% of votes, defeating José Antonio Kast by over 10 points
- Boric, 35, is Chile's most leftist president since Salvador Allende and first outside traditional power blocs
- Over 8 million Chileans voted, among the highest participation rates in recent memory
- Boric takes office March 11, 2022, facing fragmented parliament and unresolved social crisis
Left-wing candidate Gabriel Boric won Chile's presidential runoff with 55.8% of votes, defeating far-right José Antonio Kast. Outgoing president Piñera called for unity as Boric prepares to take office in March 2022.
Gabriel Boric, a 35-year-old leftist deputy, won Chile's presidential runoff decisively on Sunday, capturing 55.8 percent of the vote and defeating far-right candidate José Antonio Kast by more than ten percentage points. With nearly 99 percent of polling stations counted, Boric's victory marked a historic shift in Chilean politics—the first time since 1999 that a candidate who lost the first round came back to win the runoff, and the first time in three decades that someone outside Chile's two traditional power blocs would assume the presidency.
Outgoing president Sebastián Piñera, a conservative who has governed twice and will hand over power in March 2022, responded to Boric's win with a call for national unity. Speaking from La Moneda, the presidential palace, Piñera said the primary duty of any president is to unite the country and foster peace. He framed Boric as the president not only of those who voted for him, but of Kast's supporters and those who abstained. "We are all Chileans and we all want what is best for our country," Piñera said, offering his successor counsel to govern with wisdom, prudence, resilience, strength, and moderation.
The turnout was substantial—more than eight million Chileans voted, among the highest participation rates in recent memory. Boric's path to victory was built on strong support in urban centers, particularly in the capital, where roughly half the country's voters live. He also won decisively in regions like Valparaíso, where he held a nearly twenty-point margin, and in northern provinces such as Antofagasta and Atacama, areas where Kast or liberal economist Franco Parisi had prevailed in the first round.
Boric's ascent represents a significant ideological turn for Chile. At 35, he will be the most leftist president since Salvador Allende, whose government was overthrown in 1973 and whose era ended with the military dictatorship that lasted until 1990. Boric rose to prominence as a student activist and has remained closely associated with the 2019 social uprising against inequality. He describes himself as an ecologist, feminist, and regionalist, and he intends to expand the state's role toward a European-style welfare model.
Yet Boric inherits a country fractured by competing demands and institutional constraints. The social crisis that ignited the 2019 protests remains unresolved. A new constitution is being drafted and will require implementation. The parliament is highly fragmented with no single bloc holding a majority, which will complicate legislative efforts. And the economic aftershocks of the pandemic continue to ripple through the country. These challenges will test whether Boric can translate his electoral mandate into concrete change, and whether the unity Piñera called for can actually take root in a deeply divided nation.
Citações Notáveis
The principal mission of a president is to contribute to uniting the country and sowing peace.— Sebastián Piñera, outgoing president
Gabriel Boric will be the president of all Chileans—those who voted for him, those who supported Kast, and those who did not vote.— Sebastián Piñera
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does it matter that Boric lost the first round but won the runoff?
It breaks a pattern that's held for over two decades. Usually the frontrunner consolidates support. That Kast couldn't hold his ground suggests something shifted in how voters saw the choice between them—maybe fear of the far right, maybe Boric's message resonated more in a head-to-head.
Piñera seems gracious about this. Is that genuine?
It's hard to know. But he's also framing it carefully—saying Boric is president of everyone, not just the left. That's a political move too. He's trying to set the tone for what comes next, to say this isn't a rupture.
What does it mean that Boric is the first president outside the two traditional blocs?
For thirty years, power rotated between the center-left and center-right. Boric breaks that entirely. He's genuinely new, which is what voters wanted, but it also means he has fewer institutional allies, fewer people who know how to work the system.
The new constitution—how does that complicate things?
It's not written yet, but it will be. And Boric will have to implement it while also governing day-to-day. That's a massive undertaking. Plus, if the parliament doesn't agree with what the constitution says, you get gridlock.
Is eight million voters a lot?
For Chile, yes. It's one of the highest turnouts in recent elections. People showed up. They cared enough to vote, even though the country is tired and divided.